Adjustable storage unit arrangement



p 7 M. s. COUSINS ETAL I 3,343,899

ADJUSTABLE STORAGE UNIT ARRANGEMENT- Filed Dec 21, 1964 'INVENTORS Morlson S.Cous |ns BY, Lorenzo A. Pommuer I ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,343,899; ADJUSTABLE STORAGE UNIT ARRANGEMENT Morison S. Cousins, Whitestone, and Lorenzo A. Pommier, Brooklyn, N.Y., assignors to Lincoln Metal Products Corp, Brooklyn, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Dec. 21, 1964, Ser. No. 419,958 4 Claims. (Cl. 312111) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An adjustable storage arrangement wherein a plurality of storage units are mounted between poles and are secured together by fastening members extending through the adjacent walls of the storage units. The storage units are mounted on the poles by clips each comprising a pole-grasping member having a U-shaped inner end portion, a base portion extending from the other extremity of the pole-grasping portion and a screw extending through the base portion to apply pressure to the U-shaped portion to tighten the pole-grasping member on the pole.

The present invention provides a storage arrangement and more particularly a storage arrangement adapted for use with a plurality of storage uni-ts.

Devices which furnish storage space without permanent installation are particularly popular with apartment house dwellers and those Whose skill at carpentry is limited. One common way in which such storage space may be obtained is by the use of pole supports which are often mounted between ceiling and floor by means of a spring coil within each pole. These spring-poles have the advantage of easy mounting and de-mounting without tools and without leaving any damage to the surfaces to which they are secured. There is a need, however, for diversifying the type of storage space attached to the poles and to permit more than one storage unit to be attached side by side between a single pair of poles for even greater versatility. There is also a need for a device by which such storage units may be adjustably mounted on the spring-poles.

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention toprovide a storage arrangement which will meet the fore going requirements.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a storage arrangement which will make a positive contribu-tion toward a pleasing appearance of a room as well as furnishing storage space.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a storage arrangement which will be adaptable for use with a great variety of storage units, including cabinets, shelves, and drawers.

Additional features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description and drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a portion of the storage arrangement of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the spring clip used to attach the storage units to a support;

FIG. 3 is an end view of the spring clip of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a side view of the spring clip of FIG. 2' attached to a pole;

FIG. 5 is a plan view of one method of attaching together the inner sides of two storage units;

FIG. 6 is an alternate method of attaching together the inner sides of two storage units;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a square-collared bolt and nut utilized as a fastening member to prevent rotation;

FIG. 8 is a front view of two storage units mounted at the same height between two poles; and

FIG. 9 is a front view of an assortment of four storage units mounted at different heights between two poles.

The present invention provides for the adjustable mounting between a pair of supports of one or more articles, such as storage units. The storage unit may be held at any place along the length of the support by means of a spring clip which encircles the support and is tightened against the same at the desired distance. A plurality of storage units may be joined together between a single pair of supports by means of a fastening member passing through a selected pair of corresponding apertures located at the inner sides of each of the storage units. The selection of corresponding apertures will determine the relative placement of the units, so they may be placed at an even level or may be attached at various displacements relative to each other.

Referring to the drawing, FIG. 1 shows one possible arrangement of storage units according to the present invention. A first storage unit 10, an open cabinet, is attached at its outer side 12 to a first support 14. The attachment is accomplished by means of a pair of spring clips 16, one of which is shown in detail in FIG. 2. A second storage unit 18, a cabinet with a door, is similarly attached to a second support 20.

The supports 14 and 20 illustrated here are of the spring-mount variety, in which a spring coil is positioned within a vertical pole. It is entirely conceivable that the supports could be mounted horizontally between two vertical surfaces. The actual mounting of the supports may be accomplished in any desired manner and will have no bearing on the application of the invention.

The spring clip 16 is adapted to hold the storage unit for attachment to the pole support. The required number of clips are slipped onto the pole before the pole is mounted. The clip 16 comprises an approximately rectangular strip of resilient material, namely a material which is stiff but springy. The strip is bent to form at its first extremity a generally U-shaped inner end portion 22. The strip extends outwardly from the first leg 23 of the inner end portion 22 to form a circular pole-grasping member 24. A base portion 26 extends from the pole-grasping member 24 and is parallel to and spaced from the bridge 27 of the inner end portion 22. At its second extremity the strip has an outer end portion 28 which is connected to and extends at approximate right angles to the base portion 26. The outer end portion is parallel to and spaced from the second leg 30 of the inner end portion 22. The outer end portion 28 has a threaded hole 32. The clip 16 is secured to the pole support at any desired height by passing a bolt 34 through an opening 35 in the wall of the storage unit and then through the threaded hole 32. When the bolt 34 is turned it bears against the leg 30 of the U-shaped inner end portion 22. The leg 30 is dished at a point opposite the center of the bolt 34 to form a depression 36 in which' such as metal, pressure applied to the inner end portion 22 by means of the bolt 34 acts to compress the pole-grasp ing member 24 for a tight hold on the pole.

The outer end portion 28 of the spring clip 16 has a second hole 37 which is adapted to receive a fastening member, such as a bolt 38. The second hole 37 is nearer the free extremity of the outer end portion 28 than is the first hole 32. To attach a unit to the clip, the bolt 38 is passed through the second hole 37 and then through an aperture 39 near the center of the outer side of the storage unit. If desired, the second hole 37 may be square as shown in FIGS. 3 and 7 to prevent rotation of the bolt 38 after its insertion. A nut 40 is threaded onto the bolt 38 to tighten the assembly. This is shown at the lower portion of FIG. 1 where a storage shelf 42 is attached between supports 14 and 20. Other types of storage units are attached in the same manner. These may be open cabinets, louvred-door cabinets, and mirrored cabinets. A tall cabinet should be bolted near its top and bottom for secure attachment. The base portion 26 and the bridge 27 of the clip 16 space the unit from the support to achieve an interesting floating effect. This can best be seen in FIGS. 8 and 9. When a plurality of storage units are to be attached between two supports, it is necessary to mount only the outer sides of each end unit to the supports. The inner facing surfaces of each unit will be joined together as will be described more fully below.

Extending vertically on at least the inner sides of the storage units is a series of apertures 44. When the unit has considerable depth as is the case of the cabinets and 18 of FIG. 1 there should be two sets of apertures 44, one near the front edge and a second near the rear edge of each cabinet. A fastening member, such as a bolt 46, is passed through corresponding apertures of the cabinets whose inner sides are in approximate abutment. The bolt 46 passes through an aperture of the inner side of one unit 10 through an aperture of the inner side of the second unit 18. A nut 48 is tightened against the inside surface of the second unit 18. The number of fastening members required will depend upon the height and weight of the unit in question.

The apertures 44 on the inner sides of the units may be in the form of elongated horizotnal slots as shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, in which one or two fastening members may be positioned. Alternatively, the apertures may be a single vertical row of holes, or perhaps a double vertical row of holes 50, as illustrated in FIG. 6. These holes 50 are shown to be of square shape to prevent rotation of the bolt, but this is not necessary. The units may be placed at an even level as in FIG. 8 or they may be placed at different levels (FIG. 9) by moving the units relative to each other and selectively positioning the apertures in registry where desired.

The apertures 44 act not only as the means by which the inner sides of the units are attached together, but also as a means by which the cabinets are ventilated. They also serve a design purpose and add to the attractive appearance of the units. In practice, apertures 44 would be located on both sides of each unit so that the units would be interchangeable for positioning on either side of each other.

It may be seen, then, that the present invention provides a storage unit arrangement of particular versatility. A single pair of supports can hold a plurality of units because of the novel way in which the units can be attached to one another. A wide assortment of storage units can be mounted according to this invention and the fact that they may be secured at various heights adds to theversatility and pleasing appearance of the arrangement. The invention also provides an especially useful polemounting device by which the'units can be attached to a pole support at any distance along its length and such attachment may be readily changed if desired.

While specific embodiments of the invention have been shown and described in detail to illustrate the application of the invention, it will be understood that the invention may be embodied otherwise without departing from such principles.

What is claimed is:

1. A spring clip adapted to hold an article for attach ment to a pole, said clip comprising an approximately rectangular strip of resilient material bent to form'at its first extremity a generally U-shaped inner end portion, said strip extending outwardly from said inner end portion to form a pole-grasping member, a base portion extending from said pole-grasping member parallel to and spaced from the bight of said inner end portion, said strip having at its second extremity an outer end portion connected to and extending at approximately right angles to said base portion, and means to apply pressure between said U- shaped inner end portion-and said outer end portion thereby to tighten the said pole-grasping member and secure the clip to the pole.

V 2. A flexible storage unit arrangement, said arrangement comprising a first and second pole, a pair of spring clips to hold units for attachment to said poles, each of said clips comprising an approximately rectangular strip of resilient material bent to form at its first extremity a generally'U-shaped inner. end' portion, said strip extending outwardly from said inner end portion to form a polegraspin-g member, a base portion extending from said polegrasping member parallel to and spaced from said inner end portion, said strip having at its second extremity an outer end portion connected to and extending at approximately right angles to said base portion, means to apply pressure to said U-shaped inner end portion thereby to tighten the said pole-grasping member and secure the clip to the pole, a first unit attached at its outer side by one of said spring clips to said first pole, and a second unit attached at its outer side by the other of said spring clips to said second pole, each of said inner sides of said units having corresponding means for fastening together said units whereby a pair of units may be attached side by side between a single pair of poles.

3. A flexible storage unit arrangement for use with a fastening member, said arrangement comprising a first support, a first unit attached at its outer side to said first support, a second support, a second unit attached at its outer side to said second support whereby the inner sides of each of said units are in approximate abutment, the inner sides of said units having a plurality of corresponding apertures adapted for introduction of a fastening member therethrough whereby the units may be attached at various displacements by movement of the units relative to each other for selective positioning of said apertures in registry and introducing a fastening member through an aperture of the inner side of one unit through an aperture of the inner side of the second unit.

4. A flexible storage unit arrangement as in claim 3 in which said units have a plurality of corresponding apertures on both their inner and outer sides to permit interchangeability.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,246,325 11/ 1917 Rohmer 248-74 2,352,823 7/ 1944 Ellinwood 248-74 2,930,566 3/1960 Nawara 248-230 3,043,642 7/ 1962 Nelson 312-111 3,167,292 1/ 1965 Meyerowitz 248-230 3,200,962 8/1965 Davelaar p 312-111 X 3,216,685 11/ 1965 Raymond 248-74 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,136,750 12/ 1956 France. 1,261,330 4/ 1961 {France 72,532 9/ 1947 Norway.

ROY D. FRAZIER, Primary Examiner.

CLAUDE A. LE ROY, Examiner.

A. FRANKEL, Assistant Examiner. 

2. A FLEXIBLE STORAGE UNIT ARRANGEMENT, SAID ARRANGEMENT COMPRISING A FIRST AND SECOND POLE, A PAIR OF SPRING CLIPS TO HOLD UNITS FOR ATTACHMENT TO SAID POLES, EACH OF SAID CLIPS COMPRISING AN APPROXIMATELY RECTANGULAR STRIP OF RESILIENT MATERIAL BENT TO FORM AT ITS FIRST EXTREMITY A GENERALLY U-SHAPED INNER END PORTION, SAID STRIP EXTENDING OUTWARDLY FROM SAID INNER END PORTION TO FORM SAID POLEGRAPING MEMBER, A BASE PORTION EXTENDING FROM SAID POLEGRASPING MEMBER PARALLEL TO AND SPACED FROM SAID INNER END PORTION, SAID STRIP HAVING AT ITS SECOND EXTREMITY AN OUTER END PORTION CONNECTED TO AND EXTENDING AT APPROXIMATELY RIGHT ANGLES TO SAID BASE PORTION, MEANS TO APPLY PRESSURE TO SAID U-SHAPED INNER END PORTION THEREBY TO TIGHTEN THE SAME POLE-GRASPING MEMBER AND SECURE THE CLIP TO THE POLE, A FIRST UNIT ATTACHED AT ITS OUTER SIDE BY ONE OF SAID SPRING CLIPS TO SAID FIRST POLE, AND SECOND UNIT AT- 